Healing From Sexual ShameSample

## Where Does Our Purity Come From? The Christian pursuit of sexual purity is biblical, but it must flow out of a recognition that it is Jesus who makes us pure. During the purity movement, the message of abstinence took on a life of its own. Instead of merely teaching God’s sexual ethic, sexual purity became a badge of honor, and it was presented as a way to secure future blessings, such as a great marriage, a great sex life, and lots of children. If you failed to remain pure, the message was that this would damage your reputation and jeopardize your future happiness. Aside from the fact that these promises are not biblical—not all of us are promised marriage, great sex, and children—they also present a works-based righteousness. If we talk about sexual purity apart from the gospel, we create chaste pharisees instead of imperfect disciples. We convince people that their “purity” depends on their own performance. This contradicts the gospel, which says that our righteousness comes from Christ alone. He is the one who makes us pure by cleansing us from all our sins. If our purity depended on us, not one of us could stand before God. Thankfully, we are not the source of our purity. In 1 John 1:9 we see what Jesus does for those who repent. When we repent, Christ forgives us and purifies us from all unrighteousness. He makes us pure. And not only that, but our purity through Christ cannot be stolen, ruined, or tarnished. Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus does not change. He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (ESV). This means that, even when we stumble and fall, for those of us in Christ, our purity is permanent. How do these truths impact the way you view yourself? How do they impact the way you view God? Take a moment to write down a prayer of response.